I accept you, except you: ACceptance & Exclusion in the communities we choose

how do the communities that we are a part of today handle diversity of opinions?

We've all experienced and witnessed feelings of being accepted or excluded growing up within different communities. As we build or join our own communities today, we create parameters for what makes a "safe space."​Our model speakers kicked off the event delving into experiences of exclusion and feelings of acceptance in the spaces they have joined and created. The conversation explored how our present day communities may exhibit certain limitations, described spaces that host a diversity of opinions and lifestyles, and how we ourselves contribute to the feelings of acceptance and exclusion experienced by others.

Our small groups discussed the following questions:

What are your experiencesof feeling accepted or excluded in your past communities?

In light of your past experiences what would you need in order to feel safe and/or comfortablein a communitynow? ​

Are there limitsto what your current community (or space) can handle – in terms of identity, politics and points of view?

Drawing from what we’ve shared so far, what is one thing you can do to address one challengefacing your community?

final activity: spectrum of acceptance, being authentic in various spaces

Participants reflected on how accepted they felt in the following spaces, moving along a spectrum of "Most Authentic" and "Least Authentic":

Mosque you grew up in & the mosque you frequent now

Family

Your college MSA

Work environment

Your current religious/spiritual community

Your non-muslim support/social groups

Special thanks to all of our small group facilitators, our organizers and especially our participants! It takes courage to delve into these conversations. It requires us to be vulnerable and to be active participants in understanding where we are as a community. Thank you for making yet another event a success.

Thank you Tanjil B. for your photography!

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